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Atlanta and Golden State took control of the WNBA semifinals, while the Dodgers, Brewers, and Rays advanced in baseball’s Division Series. Kansas City, Minnesota, and San Francisco remained unbeaten in the NFL. Max Verstappen won Formula One’s race in Malaysia, Rayadas rallied past América in Liga MX Femenil, and the NHL delivered an early New York rivalry showdown. Liga MX and the Champions League had no matches in the reporting window.
WNBA
Atlanta and Golden State each opened 2-0 leads in their best-of-five WNBA semifinal series. The Dream defeated New York 92-82 Sunday, then won 101-98 in overtime Wednesday behind 23 points apiece from Angel Reese and Jordin Canada. Marine Fauthoux’s late 3-pointer forced overtime for the Liberty. Golden State beat Las Vegas 71-60 Sunday and 83-81 Wednesday, leaving both New York and Las Vegas facing elimination in Game 3 Friday.
The Contender Story: Atlanta has shown it can survive a close finish even without leading scorer Allisha Gray, while Golden State’s rebounding and defensive pressure have put the Aces in an unfamiliar position.
MLB
The Division Series sent three teams into the League Championship Series. The Dodgers eliminated Atlanta with a 4-1 victory Wednesday to win their series 3-1; Milwaukee defeated San Diego 3-1 Wednesday to finish its series 3-1. Tampa Bay completed a three-game sweep of the Yankees with a 4-3 win Wednesday. Cleveland beat the White Sox 9-3 Wednesday, cutting Chicago’s series lead to 2-1. The Dodgers and Brewers meet in the National League Championship Series beginning Sunday.
The Contender Story: The Dodgers and Brewers have secured their places in the National League final, while Tampa Bay awaits the winner of the only Division Series still unsettled as of Wednesday.
Liga MX
Liga MX had no men’s Apertura matches during the Oct. 1-7 reporting window. Clubs used the break to prepare for the resumption of league competition.
The Contender Story: The pause offered leading clubs time to regroup, but it also postponed any chance for challengers to make up ground in the standings.
Liga MX Femenil
Monterrey produced the week’s defining Liga MX Femenil result, rallying from a 3-1 halftime deficit to defeat previously unbeaten América 4-3 on Friday, Oct. 2. Valerie Vargas scored twice for Rayadas, and Aerial Chavarin added two second-half goals as Monterrey turned the match around at home. The victory ended América’s unbeaten start and strengthened Monterrey’s position in the Apertura race.
The Contender Story: Rayadas’ comeback demonstrated the attacking resilience needed to challenge for the title; América must now respond to its first defeat rather than protect an unbeaten record.
Formula One
Max Verstappen earned his first victory of 2026 at Sunday’s rain-delayed Bahrain Grand Prix, relocated to Malaysia’s Sepang circuit. Kimi Antonelli finished second, and Lewis Hamilton recovered from an early tire gamble to take third; George Russell retired with a power-unit failure. Antonelli leads the Drivers’ Championship with 320 points to Russell’s 236, an 84-point margin. Mercedes leads the Constructors’ Championship with 556 points, ahead of Ferrari on 405 and McLaren on 316. Russell faces an engine-related grid penalty at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend.
The Contender Story: Verstappen’s breakthrough mattered, but Russell’s retirement mattered more to the title race: Mercedes remains the strongest team, yet its internal championship contest is being decided as much by reliability as pace.
NFL
Kansas City, Minnesota, and San Francisco reached 4-0 in Week 4. The Chiefs survived Las Vegas 30-27 behind Kenneth Walker’s 177 rushing yards; the Vikings held Miami to 10 points in a 15-10 win, and the 49ers beat Denver 24-14. New England handed Buffalo its first loss, 29-26, as Drake Maye threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns. Dallas edged Houston 34-30, with CeeDee Lamb catching 17 passes for 189 yards. The Rams beat Philadelphia 24-20, while Atlanta closed the week with a 45-24 Monday night victory at New Orleans.
The Contender Story: The undefeated teams have shown different strengths: Kansas City can win a shootout, Minnesota can win without many touchdowns, and San Francisco can control a game defensively. Buffalo’s first loss makes the AFC race less orderly.
UEFA Champions League
No UEFA Champions League matches were played during Oct. 1-7. League-phase Matchday 2 is scheduled for Oct. 13-14. Tuesday’s matches include Arsenal vs. Lille, Atlético de Madrid vs. Manchester United, Galatasaray vs. Barcelona, and Inter vs. Club Brugge; Wednesday includes Manchester City vs. Paris Saint-Germain and Roma vs. Real Madrid.
The Contender Story: The break gave clubs time to respond to their opening results. The next two-day slate will better show which teams can build early momentum.
NHL
The NHL’s opening stretch produced an emphatic New York rivalry result Tuesday: the Rangers defeated the Islanders 5-2, with Alexis Lafrenière scoring three goals and adding an assist. Oliver Bjorkstrand also scored twice for the Rangers, who recorded their fourth straight victory. On Wednesday, Winnipeg edged previously unbeaten Colorado 3-2 as Kyle Connor scored twice, including the winner in the final minute.
The Contender Story: New York’s early winning streak and Winnipeg’s late comeback offer two different signs of contender quality: sustained scoring and the ability to finish a close game.
